biome

[ bahy-ohm ]
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nounEcology.
  1. a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, especially such a community that has developed to climax.

Origin of biome

1
First recorded in 1915–20; bi-2 + -ome, indicating a mass or part of something (see -oma)

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How to use biome in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for biome

biome

/ (ˈbaɪˌəʊm) /


noun
  1. a major ecological community, extending over a large area and usually characterized by a dominant vegetation: See formation (def. 6)

Origin of biome

1
C20: from bio- + -ome

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for biome

biome

[ ōm′ ]


  1. A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region. Terrestrial biomes, typically defined by their climate and dominant vegetation, include grassland, tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, and deciduous and coniferous forests. There are two basic aquatic biomes, freshwater and marine, which are sometimes further broken down into categories such as lakes and rivers or pelagic, benthic, and intertidal zones.

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